Fastening devices for carpets

ABSTRACT

A CARPET FASTENER IS FORMED OF A LENGTH OF STRIP MATERIAL AT LEAST ONE OF THE EDGES OF WHICH IS BENT TO FORM AN UPWARDLY-EXTENDED FLANGE HAVING A SERIES OF SPIKES WHICH PROJECT FROM IT AND WHICH WILL ENTER THE CARPET TO HOLD THE LATTER. PREFERABLY BOTH EDGES OF THE STRIP ARE BENT UP AND CARRY SPIKES AND THE PLANES OF THE FLANGES AND OF THE SPIKES ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND FORM ACUTE ANGLES WITH THE PLANE OF THE FLOOR ON WHICH THE FASTENER IS MOUNTED.

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United States Patent 3,579,707 FASTENING DEVICES FOR CARPETS Sidney Whistler, Maidstone, England, assignor to Whistler Green Engineering Products Limited, Rushden, Northamptonshire, England Filed Sept. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 760,752 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Sept. 21, 1967, 43,083/ 67 Int. Cl. A47g 27/04 US. Cl. 168 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to carpet fastening devices and more particularly to an improved fastener for holding a carpet in position on a surface to be carpeted, for example a floor. Fasteners of this invention are particularly suitable for use in the laying of fitted carpets, for securing the edge of the carpet to a floor at a position adjacent to a wall. The fasteners can also be used for the fitting of stair carpets.

Fastening devices of various kinds have been provided for these purposes; generally they comprise lengths of wood or metal having upstanding points or spikes. These devices are nailed or screwed to the floor or stair and a carpet is then laid over them so that the points or spikes penetrate the material of the carpet and hold it in position.

The present invention provides improved carpet fastening devices which oflfer a number of advantages over various known types of fasteners, both in their construction and use.

A fastener according to the invention is formed of a length of strip material at least one of the longitudinal edges of which forms an upwardly extending flange along the side of the strip, the material of the strip forming a series of upwardly projecting spikes which are spaced along the edges of the fastener, the flange or flanges and the spikes lying in similarly inclined planes which form acute angles with the plane of the strip.

Preferably the strip has flanges extending along both its edges, each of which flanges has the spikes spaced along it and lying in the plane of the flange, that is in the plane of the flange.

In a preferred construction the strip is formed of a length of sheet or strip metal, portions of the edges of which have been cut away to leave the spikes, and the edges of which lengths, with the spikes projecting from them, have been bent through angles greater and less than 90 degrees, respectively, along opposite sides of the strip to form the flanges.

It is preferred that the two flanges and their projecting spikes should be parallel to each other.

The central web part of the strip between the flanges is intended to be secured to a floor or to the step or riser of a stair. For this purpose it is formed with a series of spaced holes to receive screws or nails. Alternatively the fastener may be secured to the floor by means of an adhesive, in which case the holes allow access to the adhesive to form a key on the upper side of the central ice web. In one preferred form of the invention the web portion of the fastener is knurled or ribbed, which renders the fastener particularly suitable for adhesion to a floor. It may also assist in the construction of the fastener.

The fact that the roots of the spikes which project from the edges of the flange or flanges are spaced above the level of the web by the vertical height of the flange carry ing them enables a carpet to be laid over an underlay of felt or the like and to be secured to the floor at its edges by means of the fasteners in a particularly efficient maner.

Fastening devices of the invention are conveniently formed in a continuous process from flat metal strip (preferably bright, cold reduced steel) by means of cutting and bending rollers whereby portions are cut from the edges of the strip to leave outwardly directed spikes along the edges and whereby screw or nail receiving apertures, if required, are formed in the central portion or web of the strip. The edge portions of the strip including the spikes are then bent to one side of the plane of the strip so as to form angularly upstanding flanges, the portion of the strip between the flanges constituting the web of the fastener. When the fastening device is to have a knurled or ribbed web the knurling or the like is conveniently applied to the strip before it is cut, the knurling then facilitating the frictional grip between the strip and the means for advancing it through the shaping machine, whereby it is possible to obtain greater accuracy in cutting the strip into accurately gauged lengths.

Preferably the fasteners are given a coating of an electrically insulating synthetic plastics (or other suitable) material which is resistant to fire and to attack by rot or insects and which is impervious to water. In this way fasteners can be made which can be used easily and repeatedly, without risk of breaking or splintering or of corrosion in a moist atmosphere. They can easily be nailed, screwed or glued in position where they are required close to the skirtings on walls of old or new buildings, including round the shaped mouldings of door frames. There is no risk of their splintering when the carpet is tensioned.

A further advantage of the fittings Which will be described is that they can provide a natural insulated ducting in which dangerous and unsightly wires to electric appliances can be concealed without affecting the carpeting.

The fasteners of the invention may be made by the method and using the apparatus described in our United Kingdom patent application No. 14,526/68 filed Mar. 26, 1968.

A preferred form of fastener which exemplifies the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example.

Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing part of a fastener exemplifying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing part of the fastener of FIGS. 1 and 2, after a length of metal strip has been cut to shape but before it has been bent to form the side flanges;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, to a smaller scale, showing such a fastener in position on a floor close to a wall, where it is holding the edge of a carpet (with underfelt);

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing a number of fasteners used for holding a stair-carpet;

FIG. 6 shows a number of different shapes of spikes which may be used for fasteners according to the invention.

The carpet fastener which is shown generally at 1, is of elongate shape and is formed by bending and cutting a strip 2 (FIG. 3) of metal. The two longitudinal edge portions of the strip 2 are bent out of the plane of the strip towards one side thereof so as to form a pair of spaced, angularly upstanding, flanges 3 between which the central portion of the strip forms a web 4 joining the bases of the flanges. The free longitudinal edges of the flanges 3 are provided with spikes 5 which are directed outwardly of the edge portions of the strip 2 (FIG. 3) and extend substantially coplanar with the flanges 3 when the fastener is formed, as is best shown in FIG. 2. The two flanges 3 extend in substantially parallel planes to each other, and at an oblique angle to the web portion 4. When forming the fastener one edge portion of the strip 2 is bent upwardly through an angle which, in the construction shown, is approximately 53, While the other edge portion is bent upwardly through an angle of 127 so that both the flanges 3 with their spikes '5 form angles of 53 with the plane of the web 4. The spikes 5 are formed by the cutting away of spaced portions of the longitudinal edges of the strip 2, so as to leave the outwardly directed spikes, as shown in FIG. 3.

Holes 6 are formed in the web 4 of the fastener to receive screws, nails or other suitable means 7 (FIGS. 4 and 5) which are used for securing the fastener to a floor or to a stair tread or riser. The web 4 of the fastener is preferably knurled so as to provide a better grip between the fastener and the part to which it is secured, if it is desired to use an adhesive for this purpose instead of nails or screws.

The fastener may be given a coating of any suitable protective material, for which purpose it is preferred to use a synthetic plastics material which is waterproof and electrically insulating.

When used for the fitting of a floor carpet a number of fasteners are secured to the floor 8 (FIG. 4) within the periphery of the area over which a carpet is to be laid, with the flanges 3 and spikes 5 of the fasteners directed generally outwardly of the area to be carpeted towards the walls, one of which is shown at 9 with a skirting 10. The underfelt 11 is next laid with its edges fitting close up against the inner flanges of the fasteners 1, as shown in FIG. 4. The width of these flanges is preferably made equal to or a little less than the average thickness of underfelt or similar materials which are used under carpets.

Finally the carpet 12 is laid with its edge extending over the fastener 1, where it is preferably turned down between the fastener and the skirting 10, as shown in FIG. 4. The spikes 5 now pierce the backing of the carpet so as to hold the latter in position.

Thus it will be seen that, when laying a fitted carpet, the fasteners 1 are secured to the floor in positions close to the walls (or skirtings) of the room, with the spikes 5 directed towards the walls, and the carpet is stretched over the fasteners so that its edges are turned down between the fasteners and the walls and the spikes pierce the backing of the carpet angularly; tension in the carpet tends to force the spikes more deeply into the carpet due to the angular arrangement of the spikes 5.

The fasteners of the invention are also suitable for securing a strip of stair carpet in position on a flight of stairs, as is shown in FIG. 5. Two of the fasteners 1 are used to secure the carpet 15 (which is laid over underlays 16) in the angle between each tread 17 of the stairs and the riser 18 above it. The fasteners 1 are fitted close to the angles between the risers and the treads so as to extend transversely across the stairs, a fastener which is secured to the tread being arranged with it spikes directed generally upwardly and towards the riser, as shown, and a fastener which is secured to the riser being arranged with its spikes directed generally downwardly towards the tread. The two fasteners in each angle are positioned so that their spiked flanges which are nearest the angle between the tread and riser define a slot through which the carpet 15 can be pressed into the angle between the riser 4 and the tread, and the spike of these two flanges resist movement of the carpet out of the angle.

FIG. 6 shows at 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, a number of different shapes of spike which may be used, the selection being primarily determined by the type of carpet for which the fastener is designed. Thus fasteners having spikes of the type shown at 5a are generally intended for traditional carpets having traditional forms of construction and materials. The spikes 5b are generally for traditional carpets of fine mesh and for ones having a non stretch backing, using traditional or new types of material and construction. The spikes 5c, 5d, and 5e are particularly suited for carpets embodying both the newer materials and the newer types of construction.

Although neat and apparently simple in appearance, the fasteners of the invention embody many features of advanced design which offer unexpected advantages. One of these features makes it possible really to speed up the process of getting a high standard of finish on the turn-in at the skirting when a carpet is being fitted, especially with a thick or stiff carpet. This is because the teeth and the flanges are in the same plane and the fastener forms a welldefined slot between itself and the skirting or wall, into which the carpet is turned and tucked. At the same time the spikes of the fastener penetrate and lock in the actual bend in the carpet.

Carpets which have been fitted with such fasteners will not disengage from their anchorages when thick, springy underlays are used. The height of the flanges is selected to absorb this movement without causing uneveness when thinner underlays are used.

The combined effects of the form and arrangement of the spikes 5 in the fasteners of the invention reduce undue wear to carpets at the anchorage points. The flat teeth provide perfect seating for the rectangular apertures formed by the warp and weft strands of the backing of the carpet, thus minimising distortion and friction, which causes wear.

It is preferred in many cases that the covering of the fasteners should have a rough texture which has the advantage of reducing the tendency for the carpets to creep during use.

For the coating a suitable material is polyethylene. This can be applied in such a way that the finished coating will have any desired degree of smoothness or roughness.

I claim:

1. A fastener for securing carpet in place on a surface including a web portion comprising an elongated strip of sheet material adapted to be permanently secured to said surface, a pair of integral stilfening flanges formed along opposite side edges of said web portion, and a plurality of integral spikes for engaging said carpet formed at longitudinally spaced inttervals along upper edges of said flanges at the opposite edges of said web portion, said spikes being arranged to lie in a pair of substantially parallel planes extending angularly upwardly from said opposite edges of said web portion at an acut angle relative thereto and adapted to penetrate angularly upwardly into the body of said carpet placed thereon for holding the same against relative displacement over said surface.

2. The fastener of claim 1 wherein said spikes formed along one edge of said web portion are offset longitudinally of said strip in relation to the spikes formed along the opposite edge of said web portion.

3. The fastener of claim 1 wherein said web portion is perforated to facilitate fastening of said strip to said Surface with separate fastening means.

4. The fastener of claim 1 wherein said spikes are formed with barbs adjacent the outer end portion thereof for aiding in holding said carpet thereon,

5. A fastener for securing carpet in place on a surface including a perforated web portion comprising an elongated strip of sheet material adapted to be premanently secured to said surface, and a plurality of integral spikes for engaging said carpet formed at longitudinally spaced intervals along opposite side edges of said web portion,

said spikes arranged to lie in a pair of substantially parallel planes extending angularly upwardly from opposite edges of said web portion at an acute angle relative thereto and adapted to penetrate angularly upwardly into the body of said carpet placed on said fastener for holding the same against sliding movement over said surface, said spikes being formed along the upper edges of a pair of parallel angularly upwardly extending edge flanges along opposite edges of said web portion and said spikes along one side edge being staggered longitudinally along said strip in relation to said spikes along an opposite side edge.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 362,476 5/1887 Worley 166 5 2,990,565 7/1961 Atwood 1'6-6 3,234,581 2/1966 Reiling 168 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner 10 D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner 

